all because of a cup of coffee
by chasehermes
Summary: Because Reyna has waited for a long time, and she's not going to let love to come back as easily as it did before. Jason/Reyna. Mild Jason/Piper. Spoilers for MoA. Post Giant war.


**author's note || **Because Rick Riordan was not kind enough to give us some Jason/Reyna reunion in the spoilers.

It hurts too much. My heart longs for Jeyna who I learned to love over the months. When I read the spoilers, I heard something break, and a few seconds later did I only realized that that was my heart.

Delayed one-shot for the Jason/Reyna ship week.

TEASER for my one-shot "Technically Speaking".

Dedicated to _theperksofbeinganauthor_. I really owe you one.

Reviews are appreciated.

Check my tumblr? XD The link is on my profile.

_._

* * *

_._

**all because of a cup of coffee**

If Reyna did not have a reputation to protect, Aurum and Argentum would already be chewing contentedly the remains of Octavian.

Even after the Giant war was over, Octavian still had a grudge against the Greeks - although it was less. Apparently, falling in love with a daughter of Eros did him good.

It was weird - and amusing - for her to see him talking about the wonders of love. He was certainly out of his mind.

Then again, was his mind ever in the right state?

_No._

She rubbed her temples in frustration once everyone left the Senate room. Her eyebrows were knitted in frustration as she looked up at the only light in the seemingly dark room. Today was definitely not her day. She just spent it in front of people who were demanding for a praetor. Octavian would want to retire; Percy would want to go to New York.

Even in his time as a praetor, he was not that much of help, really.

Sure, he was a great warrior (she had to give him that), and being a son of Ne - Poseidon helped a lot, but he was not Ja -

She ran her hand though her hair and cursed herself in Latin.

That was a touchy subject.

She bit her lip as she tried to block the curses that would probably had escaped a long time ago.

Suddenly, at the corner of her eye, she saw someone move. Her head snapped, and she felt herself become more attentive - cautious, even.

Her eyes narrowed at the figure.

"Who are you?" she demanded. She reached out for her dagger - only to find out it was not there.

Images of her leaving it with Terminus flooded her mind.

Reyna had to strain to stop herself from saying words of profanity. She squinted at the figure, the dim light highlighted the pure golden hair and hued vibrant blue eyes. Her eyes focused when she realized who the _intruder _was.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Blue eyes sharpened and, for a moment, she thought she had seen an angel.

"I just wanted to talk."

.

.

The lights dimmed a bit, and for a second she felt her heart beat a little bit faster. The redness on her cheeks became a bit more evident to the point that she had to scold herself. She was still for a moment.

What was she supposed to say?

He was already there - standing in front of her after she waited for how many months. He was already there in front of her - alive and breathing and fine even after all they went through during the Giant war.

What the Pluto was the _right_ thing for her to say?

"There's nothing to talk about," she breathed out, carefully choosing the words.

He looked at her - sharp and hard. It was as if he was reading through her.

He shifted his weight. "There are plenty of things that," he insisted, "we have to talk about."

"No, we don't. I suggest that you go instead and prepare for when the Greeks come later for the celebration," she replied icily.

"That can wait."

"No. It can't, so why don't you just go?" she snapped back.

"Because we have some things to talk about."

"There's no time for that, Grace," Reyna gritted her teeth. "There are some things to be finished in the Principia. Now, if you'd excuse me. I have no time to deal with these things."

"Wait, Reyna. I did those earlier in the morning."

Reyna narrowed her eyes. "There are still plenty for me to do."

"Just this once."

The way he said it. It sounded almost like a plea.

Jason Grace did not beg.

"You do know that I would run my dagger through your body later, right?"

He smiled.

.

.

"It's been a while since we got to talk like this," Jason sat comfortably on the couch in one of Reyna's favorite cafe.

"Yes," Reyna blew steam off her cup. "It's really been a while."

He paused before looking at her. "How's New Rome?"

Her gaze flickered to the structures outside the building. "All's well. And it seems that that daughter of Eros is really good for Octavian."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," she responded. "He's more bearable nowadays although I think I would rather not hear terrible poems about how love is this and love is that. What are those called again? Oh, I think Annabeth told me they were called Haiku."

"Well... I guess that's still good," he laughed at the thought of Octavian sprouting weird poetry.

"It is," she agreed. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself down. Why was talking to Jason so hard for her to do nowadays? He was still the same Jason Grace she met - same blue eyes, same scar, same blonde hair.

_Except he replaced you with someone else_, a voice taunted her.

She took a sip from her drink, trying to distract herself, before returning her gaze to the scenery in front of her. She frowned at what she saw; they seem to be mocking her.

She didn't like it.

"You okay?"

She removed her gaze from the scenery before replying. "Yes. I just got a bit distracted."

His electric blue eyes shifted. "That's a change."

"Look at who's talking," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You were more easily distracted than I ever was, Grace."

Jason countered. "No. I don't think so."

"Well, you were," Reyna looked at him equally. "I don't know what is wrong with your memory, but take it from someone who didn't have an amnesia. You were easily distracted, and that nearly had you killed a lot of times."

He looked at her curiously before shrugging.

"If you say so, Reyna. I wouldn't want to have Aurum and Argentum seeking for my blood," he joked. "Like that time when you asked them to chase me for stealing your dagger."

She was shocked. "You remembered even that?"

"Of course, I would," he leaned back. "I nearly died at that time. Oh, and that time Dakota spewed _Kool-Aid!_ all over the paperwork... That was priceless."

Reyna tried to hide a grimace. "It was your fault for bringing him inside the Principia, Grace."

"And the time Lupa did a surprise inspection..."

"Again, it was your fault for not asking the legionnaires to clean the arena."

"And then the time we went on that quest and we ended up getting chased by dozens of monsters..."

"It was still your fault for having a scent that is too much to hide."

Jason frowned. "How come it was all my fault?"

"Because it really is your fault."

It went on and on. Jason would bring up something, and Reyna would blame it to him. It was almost as if nothing had changed. Soon, Reyna began to feel comfortable. It was almost like Jason was back. _Really back._

He looked at her. "Don't you think that's kind of unfair for me, Reyna?"

"No."

"You haven't changed, have you?" he looked at her, all traces of smiles and laughter now gone.

Reyna's heart beat just a little bit faster, and the flow of her blood suddenly raced a little bit. She had to count up to ten to stop herself from saying or doing stupid things.

"I wasn't the one who changed, Grace," she said quietly. She wasn't sure if Jason had heard it or not, but he did stay quiet after that. All of a sudden, he found looking at the afternoon sky interesting.

She glanced at her cup that was now empty. She looked at the owner before ordering another one. Awkward silence filled them, and Reyna wanted to punch herself for having to say that.

_And now that things were starting to be a bit better..._ she thought bitterly.

The owner who Reyna learned to love as a father returned offering her another cup. She smiled before quickly saying thanks, and drinking from the cup eagerly.

"You never drank coffee before."

She glanced at him. "I had to. Hot chocolate never did the trick these days."

"Oh."

He looked at her in a weird way. It was almost as if he was trying to figure out a part of her. The way his intense gaze rested on her made her squirm. It was as if he was trying to remember her. His eyes shifted to look at her own shade of ink-black. His hands drop to his sides.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Reyna raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For leaving you to take care of the legion alone for more than eight months. I'm going to include the time we went to Greece to finish things."

"You shouldn't apologize, Jason," Reyna closed her eyes as she tried to relax. She was never good with words, and trying to comfort someone was also not part of her gifts. "It was what was needed to save the world. It was crucial. There was nothing you could do about it."

"Still, Reyn-"

"Besides, I'll be the one who'd take care of the legion from now on until we find a replacement for Percy. I might as well get used to it," she cut him off.

Finally, she said it. She said the things she had been wanting to say. Him leaving her alone for many months was a practice for her until the legion finds the right person to be the praetor.

Apparently, Jason didn't get it.

"What do you mean by that?" he looked a bit more alert.

"I mean, it was a good thing I got used to running everything alone. It won't be that stressful for me when you and Percy return to New York..." her voice drifted off.

"But I'm not leaving."

"What?"

She wasn't exactly sure if she heard him right.

"I'm not leaving," he replied much more easily now.

Her eyes were wide, and she could have sworn that she looked like a little girl who just received her Christmas present. Her blood stopped flowing, and she can honestly feel her heart beating too fast.

"B-but-"

Jason had a smile on his face as he moved closer to Reyna who was sitting across him.

"What? You actually thought I'd leave you again?"

"But-" she refused to answer his question.

"You haven't answered my question yet," he said cockily.

"But what about Piper?"

Jason frowned. "What about her?"

"She loves you! You just can't leave her like that!" Now, she was desperate. Oh gods. What is wrong with her? Now that Jason was staying, she suddenly wanted him to leave.

_Venus really didn't like her._

"She broke up with me," Jason replied quietly.

_Or maybe not._

"Oh," Reyna suddenly pitied Jason. That must have hurt him. Piper was a nice girl, even she would say that. She closed her eyes to count to three before looking at him for further explanation.

"She said that we weren't meant to be together. I don't know what I did. I tried my best, but suddenly, after the quest, she goes to me and said that we weren't just meant to be a-"

"It's okay, Jason," she tried to comfort him. It doesn't matter now if he still loved Piper, she realized. As long as he was happy, then that was fine with her. This was just some of the sacrifices she'd have to deal with.

"-she said that I'm better off with someone else," he finished.

Suddenly, he looked at her. And she felt heat spreading across her body. His gaze suddenly became too intense for her to handle, and it was as if her oxygen supply was cut short.

_Does he mean..?_

"Oh," she tried not to sound nervous (and giddy). Really. The meaning behind his words hit her so, _so _fast.

"Yes," Jason replied. "I don't know what she meant by that. Back to the point, you haven't answered my question yet."

He leaned in. "Did you honestly think that I'd leave you ever again?"

She refused, refused, refused to ever look at him.

"Come on, Reyna," he breathed out, "just answer it."

She gritted her teeth as she tried to answer back as calmly as possible; however, the distance between them did not make things easier - at least for her.

"No."

"Oh, really?"

He was now face-to-face to her, and his blue eyes that were so like the sky, and her heart is really betraying her. The warmth spreading through her cheeks was now unstoppable, and she can't help but reply.

"Ye - no! Wait. Yes. You're playing with me, Grace!"

He moved a little bit closer even more; his face were only a few inches away from Reyna's. "Oh? Our little miss praetor over here is flustered. Do I make you feel nervous?"

"Of course not!" Reyna scoffed back, trying to hide her blush. She tried to look away from his intense gaze.

His smirk grew a bit wider.

"Oh, really?" he asked for the second time. She can feel his breathing and she can smell his scent (mint), and it made her feel so nervous. Their lips were only a few centimeters apart and her heart was doing so many somersaults.

"What the hell is your problem, Gra-"

He smashed his lips into hers.

(And gods. It felt so good.)

.

.

It was a slow-dance. Several children of Apollo decided it was appropriate to play some song named _Yellow_. Campers were dancing around; girls were leaning into boys as the stars dance even brighter.

It was like even the gods were rejoicing.

She saw Annabeth and Percy dancing in the corner; Frank and Hazel in some sort of waltz minus the tripping part. Piper and Leo were laughing with each other although Piper was now leaning on him. Gwen and Dakota were enjoying the beat; Octavian and the daughter of Eros named Alice were enjoying the music.

Several _lares _decided it was time for them to relax, too.

"So..." Jason started to say, "do you regret ever going out with me a while ago?"

Reyna rolled her eyes as she leaned into his shoulder, inhaling his scent.

"Shut up," she glared halfheartedly. "Your ego would grow even bigger."

"But you love me for it."

"Oh, please," she tried to hide her embarrassment (of course, she failed miserably).

"You did kiss me back earlier," he pointed out.

She glared at him, and kicked his shin.

"Ow!"

Suddenly, Annabeth and Percy went to the two of them.

"Gods, if you two don't shut up and enjoy the music, we're going to tell Leo and Piper to spread the pictures they took a while ago in the cafe," Annabeth threatened.

Percy tried not to laugh. "We can get a great amount of gossip there."

Reyna blushed beet red while Jason paled.

"Okay, okay," Reyna grumbled as the latter two moved away.

Jason hid a laugh as Reyna leaned in his shoulder.

"Am I still annoying?"

"No," Reyna admitted. "Not really."

"Good to know."

Reyna closed her eyes as she leaned into Jason. Finally, after waiting for a long time... it was almost everything was falling into place. It was like all her prayers to the gods were answered.

They moved quietly and slowly. If she could just capture this moment...

Something hit her like a brick. She forgot something important.

"Jason?"

"Hmmm...?"

"By the way, I missed you."


End file.
